XFL, USFL leagues formalize merger to form United Football League
On Sunday, the XFL and USFL announced a merger to form the United Football League (UFL). The 2024 season for the UFL is set to kick off on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Russ Brandon, former President and CEO of the XFL, will lead the UFL as President and CEO. Daryl Johnston, former USFL President of Football Operations, will lead football operations. The news was first announced by Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson on FOX NFL Sunday.
“FOX is football, and the success of the USFL has proven that there’s a bright future for spring football,” Eric Shanks, the chief executive officer and executive producer of FOX Sports, said. “The opportunity to bring together our two leagues – each with a commitment to advancing broadcast practices, rule innovations and the community – only furthers the potential of the United Football League and solidifies its spot on the sports calendar.”
Shanks is one of five league partners who released statements with the announcement of the merger. Along with Shanks, former XFL owners Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital Partners released statements.
“From day one, our mission has been to expand the game of football and be a league of opportunity, culture and innovation,” Johnson said. “As we come together to create the UFL, we can build something powerful, exciting and very cool for football fans – a spring league with lasting impact for all the players with a dream to play pro football and the ‘hardest workers in the room’ mentality to make their dreams come true.”
“When you combine the entertainment and marketing expertise of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, the broadcast and network reach of FOX and ESPN, and the strategic capital and company building mentality of RedBird, there is a tremendous opportunity to achieve something unique – a valuable and scalable live event entertainment platform that will continue to work closely with the NFL on innovation and player development and have a legitimate shot at becoming one of the top professional leagues in the country after the big four,” Cardinale added.
ESPN (represented by chairman Jimmy Pitaro) is also a partner of the UFL. The leagues announced an intent to merge on Sept. 28 and received approval from federal regulators on Nov. 30. Now, it’s official.
Further details on the budding league will be announced at a later time, including the number of teams and the cities they will represent. However, the UFL did confirm its March 30, 2024 opener will be played between the leagues’ 2023 champions: the Arlington Renegades (XFL) and Birmingham Stallions (USFL).